探花精选

By Ed Avella
Campus Director & Dean of聽IT 探花精选

Like most people, I lament my life鈥檚 problems until I or someone close to me is burdened by true misfortune or calamity. Traffic causing an intolerable long commute, the unforeseen bill or expense, gas prices, even a mistake on a dinner order 鈥� things I have allowed myself to get frustrated or upset over, that in the scheme of things are absolutely insignificant, only put into perspective by real hardship.

Over the past month I have seen true distress; my wife struggling with a neurological condition that makes sleep and sometimes even thinking impossible; my Grandparents displaced from their home at the Jersey shore by Hurricane Sandy, a home they鈥檝e lived in without incident since 1962.

鈥�and my 22 year old daughter battling recurrent cancer.

What right do I have to feel encumbered by anything as trivial as intermittent phone service when my family around me is laboring through real difficulty.

I don鈥檛. I鈥檇 trade with any one of them that they wouldn鈥檛 have to endure what life has thrust upon them. I know I cannot, but Thanksgiving week is teaching me a great lesson on humility and appreciation.

Rather than be redundant and offer advice to 鈥渁ppreciate what you got,鈥� I am going to use this piece more selfishly and thank them as well as everyone that has been an important part of my life this past year or more.

I thank my wife for being more amazing every day and showing me infinite patience; for sometimes being the adult in our marriage! My house became a home the day she showed up.

I thank my daughter, for being my miracle. Her strength is indomitable.

I thank my mother and father, for trying so hard for so many years to teach me the lessons they knew I could only learn by screwing them up anyway!

I thank my in-laws because my wife鈥檚 perspicacity, grace and principles come from the best stock; the type of people that make you better for just being around them.

I thank my grandparents, for being the role model for love that every couple should witness.

I thank Laura, the President of University of the Potomac; for her leadership, the opportunity to be part of something really special and important, and proof that the term 鈥渃hanging lives鈥� is not rhetoric or a marketing line.

I thank my colleague Deb, for her unbridled spirit and tenacity; a beacon of verve amidst a sea of 鈥渂lah.鈥�

I thank the entire leadership team; Laura, Walt, Deb, Linda, James, Tim, Theresa, Vickey, and Mike, plus recent additions Danny (who isn鈥檛 new, but just started showing up), David and Alexandra 鈥� for being the 鈥渂rain鈥� of my 鈥渟torm.鈥� I could easily add what each of them brings to my life as individuals, but better to keep out the specifics and protect the innocent!

I thank my team; Adrian, Kim, and Yasir 鈥� as well as my students, for however few they are extraordinary 鈥� for being my muse. They are my inspiration!

I thank my friends, who still respond to my career as an educator with, 鈥淲ait. What?鈥� I thank them for always being there.

Most of all, I thank God. For giving me this life I wouldn鈥檛 trade for anything.

Be selfishly thankful this year for all you have鈥�